Leighton Photography & Imaging

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  • El Capitan in West Texas' Guadalupe Mountains (100 miles east of El Paso) is the world's premier example of an exposed fossil reef from the Permian Era, dated at about 260 million years old - much older than the golden age of dinosaurs. This whole part of Texas back in this time was once covered in a shallow sea that geologists call the Delaware Sea, in a time when all of Earth's continents were still joined into one supercontinent that we call Pangaea. The entire top of El Capitan is made of limestone formed from the fossilized remains of aquatic plant and animal remains such as corals, algae, shellfish and plankton, and now stands at just above 8000 feet above sea level. The base is formed by layer upon layer of sand laid down over millions of years, in the manner you would expect from the ocean floor resulting in a very typical sedimentary rock formation,  further eroded by millions of years of desert heat, rain, abrasion and wind.
    El Capitan, West Texas
  • Ancient monolithic sentinels of basalt and time, these wondrous sea stacks were photographed near the Pistol River on Oregon's southern coastline.
    Sea Stacks on the Oregon Coast
  • It was a rare morning where the temperature dipped a few degrees below freezing, and the frost on the ground looked a lot like snow in my car’s headlights. It was so worth it, as I was rewarded with the most stunning sunrise I’ve seen in a long time! Winter often offers interesting colors and hues with the first hints of light, but this was something special….. just pure beauty in all its glory!
    Dawn Over the Salt Marsh
  • A wild sun halo on a chilly winter day on the Gulf of Mexico, just south of Tallahassee, Florida.
    Sun Halo over the Gulf of Mexico
  • Cerro Castellan - also known as Castolon Peak or Castellan Peak, is a conical volcanic mountain in West Texas that rises 1000 feet above the desert floor (3,293 feet above sea level) in Big Bend National Park. Cerro Castellan itself is part of an ancient series of summits once known as the Corazones Peaks that has since succumbed to millennia of erosion by wind, precipitation, searing heat and bitterly cold winters. <br />
Geologically, this ancient mountain range remnant is a high stack of volcanic rocks, including ash, lava, and tuffaceous rocks. It is capped by a dense lava flow underlain by various tuffs and basalts. A somewhat northwest fault cuts the eastern face of Cerro Castellan. Although little vegetation grows on the sheer cliffs and steep, pointed profile of its peak, the lower slopes of Cerro Castellan support a sparse growth of Chihuahuan Desert scrub, including most prominently such characteristic species as creosote bush and ocotillo.
    Cerro Castellan
  • Sea stacks tower above the sitka spruce that line the Pacific coastline of Washington's Rialto Beach and Olympic National Park.
    Sea Stacks and Coastline at Rialto B..gton
  • Double Arch is found in Arches National Park in Eastern Utah and is part of the amazing red alien sandstone landscape that is called the Moab Desert. This area has the largest number of natural stone arches than anywhere else in the world, but what makes this rock formation so unique is that they were both eroded from the very same piece of stone. Most arches are formed from water erosion flowing either within or from the sides of the rock over the millennia, but these two arches were formed from water eroding from the top of the stone, downwards. For this reason they are called pothole arches. Because this photograph was made at the beginning of a sudden storm, you can see the rainwater running down the rock from the top of the arch, and this is the very process that carved these arches to begin with, and that will also eventually one day cause this magnificent national treasure to collapse.
    Double Arch, Moab Desert, Utah
  • This incredible wild and harsh desert near the Mexican town of Sonoyta is deep in the Ajo Mountain range in Southern Pima County, Arizona. Saguaro cacti, gila monsters, rattlesnakes, scorpions, tarantulas, a searing sun are staples of this dangerous part of the Sonoran Desert, and there is a long, deep history among the remnants of the Tohono O'odham Nation who thrived here for centuries, and the ancestral Puebloans who created a vibrant culture here before them.
    Diablo Mountains, Arizona
  • An incredible fiery sunset on a rare sunny winter evening on Oregon's Tillamook Head - just north of Cannon Beach.
    Sunset on Sea Lion Rock, Oregon
  • Early morning and the sun is burning through the fog over the salt marshes of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in North Florida.
    Stillness and the Salt Marsh
  • The famous North and South Window arches at 4am on an incredible moonlit night deep in the Moab Desert in Arches National Park in Eastern Utah.
    North and South Window Arches at Night
  • One of the 2000+ arches found in the Moab Desert in Arches National Park, lit by an extraordinary moon on a hot summer night.
    Moab Desert at Night
  • The famous Delicate Arch stands 65 feet (20 meters) above its sandstone base in the surrounding canyons and ravines in Arches National Park in eastern Utah's Moab Desert.
    Delicate Arch
  • The famous Delicate Arch stands 65 feet (20 meters) above its sandstone base in the surrounding canyons and ravines in Arches National Park in eastern Utah's Moab Desert.
    Delicate Arch
  • The famous Delicate Arch stands 65 feet (20 meters) above its sandstone base in the surrounding canyons and ravines in Arches National Park in eastern Utah's Moab Desert.
    Delicate Arch
  • The famous Delicate Arch stands 65 feet (20 meters) above its sandstone base in the surrounding canyons and ravines in Arches National Park in eastern Utah's Moab Desert.
    Delicate Arch
  • The rocky coastline of Cape Flattery is located at the most extreme northwestern corner of the contiguous United States. Millennia of pounding waves, tides and erosion have sculpted the landscape into something from a fairytale.
    Sea Stacks of Cape Flattery
  • After waiting and then almost giving up due to the fog, the sun burned through enough of it for me to get this shot.
    Foggy Dawn and the Burning Sun
  • The Chisos Mountains of West Texas is the southernmost mountain range in the United States, and is surrounded by the Chihuahuan Desert on the US-Mexico border. Located wholly within the borders of Big Bend National Park, this incredible view of this ancient volcanic mountain range was photographed on a late spring afternoon as the sun began to set in the "golden hour".
    Chisos Mountains of West Texas
  • One of the many great rock formations in the Chisos Mountains in Western Texas' Big Bend National Park and is known as the "Mule Ear Peaks." These twin peaks  are formed from a part of a dike-like intrusion of relatively young rhyolite, and rise about 1040 feet (3,881 above sea level) above the desert floor.
    Mules Ears
  • Cerro Castellan - also known as Castolon Peak or Castellan Peak, is a conical volcanic mountain in West Texas that rises 1000 feet above the desert floor (3,293 feet above sea level) in Big Bend National Park. Cerro Castellan itself is part of an ancient series of summits once known as the Corazones Peaks that has since succumbed to millennia of erosion by wind, precipitation, searing heat and bitterly cold winters. <br />
Geologically, this ancient mountain range remnant is a high stack of volcanic rocks, including ash, lava, and tuffaceous rocks. It is capped by a dense lava flow underlain by various tuffs and basalts. A somewhat northwest fault cuts the eastern face of Cerro Castellan. Although little vegetation grows on the sheer cliffs and steep, pointed profile of its peak, the lower slopes of Cerro Castellan support a sparse growth of Chihuahuan Desert scrub, including most prominently such characteristic species as creosote bush and ocotillo.
    Cerro Castellan
  • Cerro Castellan - also known as Castolon Peak or Castellan Peak, is a conical volcanic mountain in West Texas that rises 1000 feet above the desert floor (3,293 feet above sea level) in Big Bend National Park. Cerro Castellan itself is part of an ancient series of summits once known as the Corazones Peaks that has since succumbed to millennia of erosion by wind, precipitation, searing heat and bitterly cold winters. <br />
Geologically, this ancient mountain range remnant is a high stack of volcanic rocks, including ash, lava, and tuffaceous rocks. It is capped by a dense lava flow underlain by various tuffs and basalts. A somewhat northwest fault cuts the eastern face of Cerro Castellan. Although little vegetation grows on the sheer cliffs and steep, pointed profile of its peak, the lower slopes of Cerro Castellan support a sparse growth of Chihuahuan Desert scrub, including most prominently such characteristic species as creosote bush and ocotillo.
    Cerro Castellan
  • Cerro Castellan - also known as Castolon Peak or Castellan Peak, is a conical volcanic mountain in West Texas that rises 1000 feet above the desert floor (3,293 feet above sea level) in Big Bend National Park. Cerro Castellan itself is part of an ancient series of summits once known as the Corazones Peaks that has since succumbed to millennia of erosion by wind, precipitation, searing heat and bitterly cold winters. <br />
Geologically, this ancient mountain range remnant is a high stack of volcanic rocks, including ash, lava, and tuffaceous rocks. It is capped by a dense lava flow underlain by various tuffs and basalts. A somewhat northwest fault cuts the eastern face of Cerro Castellan. Although little vegetation grows on the sheer cliffs and steep, pointed profile of its peak, the lower slopes of Cerro Castellan support a sparse growth of Chihuahuan Desert scrub, including most prominently such characteristic species as creosote bush and ocotillo.
    Cerro Castellan
  • Sol Duc Falls (pronounced “Soul Duck”) is one of many hundreds of waterfalls found in the Olympic Peninsula’s temperate rain forest in Washington State, and also one of the most beautiful. Somewhat isolated, and off the regular beaten path of most day-hikers (except for locals) and tourists this raging waterfall can be visited year round. The Sol Duc River gets its name from the Quileute (also spelled Quillayute) word roughly translated as “magic waters.”
    Sol Duc Falls
  • This wild seascape was shot as a storm was coming in from the Pacific Ocean at the Washington-Oregon border at the mouth of the Columbia River, photographed from the Oregon side.
    Storm Coming In!
  • A vividly memorable and bitterly cold sunset on Oregon's Cannon Beach.
    Pacific Sunset
  • This massive rock on Oregon's Cannon Beach is one of the world's biggest sea stacks. This one was photographed just at the perfect moment of low tide, sunset and as a storm was coming in at full speed!
    Haystack Rock
  • Dusk settles and sea mist rises among the cliffs and seastacks at Tolovana Beach on the Oregon Coast.
    Light and Shadows
  • One of the most beautiful coastlines in the world - Oregon's Clatsop County from Ecola State Park to Cannon Beach, at sunset.
    The Oregon Coast
  • Saguaro cacti stand tall as sunset fades in the Puerto Blanco Mountains in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument along the US-Mexico border in Arizona. Truly one of my favorite places in the Sonoran Desert.
    Sunset in the Puerto Blanco Mountains
  • Golden hour near the Ajo Mountains in the Sonoran Desert! Big skies, lowlands filled with saguaro and organ pipe cacti, and loads of wildlife and incredible wildflowers - springtime in Arizona is about as beautiful as nature gets!
    Ajo Mountains
  • An incredible fiery sunset on a rare sunny winter evening on Oregon's Tillamook Head - just north of Cannon Beach.
    Sunset on Tillamook Head, Oregon
  • Some of the amazingly beautiful rock formations photographed here at dusk in Arches National Park in Eastern Utah.
    Moab Rock Formations
  • The wonderous rock formations of Utah's Arches National Park look even more spectacular on a wildly moonlit night in the Moab Desert.
    Moab Desert in Moonlight
  • Balanced Rock silhouetted against the moonlit sky on an extraordinary night in the Moab Desert at about 4am in Eastern Utah.
    Balanced Rock in Silhouette at Night
  • Long exposure of balanced rock in Arches National Park in Utah's Moab Desert lit entirely by moonlight.
    Balanced Rock at Night
  • A waning gibbous moon on a warm summer night in the Moab Desert in Eastern Utah at nearly 4am. It was so bright out that I could easily navigate between the cacti and jagged rocks without my flashlight!
    Desert Moon
  • The famous Delicate Arch stands 65 feet (20 meters) above its sandstone base in the surrounding canyons and ravines in Arches National Park in eastern Utah's Moab Desert.
    Delicate Arch
  • The famous Delicate Arch stands 65 feet (20 meters) above its sandstone base in the surrounding canyons and ravines in Arches National Park in eastern Utah's Moab Desert.
    Delicate Arch
  • This purely wild coastline on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, is the meeting point where the Pacific Ocean joins the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
    Washington's Rocky Coast
  • A breathtaking view of Cape Flattery and the Pacific Ocean in Washington's most extreme Northwest corner.
    Cape Flattery
  • A beautiful blue sky over Florida's St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge where the salt marshes and freshwater marshes meet.
    Clouds over St. Marks
  • Also known as the western funnelweb spider or funnel weaver, the desert grass spider is a large highly territorial member of the Agelenidae family of spiders that can be found in the arid Southeastern United States and Northern Mexico. Although it is called a grass spider, it is most often found in prairies, rock piles and in thorny brush in its very characteristic and large non-sticky funnel web with a tubular "hole" where it waits for prey. This large female was found in a mesquite thicket just south of Mission, Texas using a Christmas cholla cactus to support its web. If you look closely, you can see she's lost a foreleg and pedipalp some time ago, and now they are growing back. Both will get closer to full-length each time she molts.
    Desert Grass Spider 1
  • The venomous, yet slow-moving gila monster posing in the lower branches of a mesquite bush in the Senoran Desert, just outside of Tucson, Arizona. This was my forst time seeing one in the wild, and I actually delayed my travel plan to spend extra time looking for one of these.
    Gila Monster
  • Also known as the western funnelweb spider or funnel weaver, the desert grass spider is a large highly territorial member of the Agelenidae family of spiders that can be found in the arid Southeastern United States and Northern Mexico. Although it is called a grass spider, it is most often found in prairies, rock piles and in thorny brush in its very characteristic and large non-sticky funnel web with a tubular "hole" where it waits for prey. This large female was found in a mesquite thicket just south of Mission, Texas using a Christmas cholla cactus to support its web. If you look closely, you can see she's lost a foreleg and pedipalp some time ago, and now they are growing back. Both will get closer to full-length each time she molts.
    Desert Grass Spider 4
  • Also known as the western funnelweb spider or funnel weaver, the desert grass spider is a large highly territorial member of the Agelenidae family of spiders that can be found in the arid Southeastern United States and Northern Mexico. Although it is called a grass spider, it is most often found in prairies, rock piles and in thorny brush in its very characteristic and large non-sticky funnel web with a tubular "hole" where it waits for prey. This large female was found in a mesquite thicket just south of Mission, Texas using a Christmas cholla cactus to support its web. If you look closely, you can see she's lost a foreleg and pedipalp some time ago, and now they are growing back. Both will get closer to full-length each time she molts.
    Desert Grass Spider 2
  • Also known as the western funnelweb spider or funnel weaver, the desert grass spider is a large highly territorial member of the Agelenidae family of spiders that can be found in the arid Southeastern United States and Northern Mexico. Although it is called a grass spider, it is most often found in prairies, rock piles and in thorny brush in its very characteristic and large non-sticky funnel web with a tubular "hole" where it waits for prey. This large female was found in a mesquite thicket just south of Mission, Texas using a Christmas cholla cactus to support its web. If you look closely, you can see she's lost a foreleg and pedipalp some time ago, and now they are growing back. Both will get closer to full-length each time she molts.
    Desert Grass Spider 3
  • The venomous, yet slow-moving gila monster posing in the lower branches of a mesquite bush in the Sonoran Desert, just outside of Tucson, Arizona. This was my first time seeing one in the wild, and I actually delayed my travel plan to spend extra time looking for one of these.
    Gila Monster
  • One of my favorites - drumheads - growing near a pond in Martin County, Florida. Like many of the polygala species, it is often found in pine scrubs that get flooded from time to time.
    Drumheads
  • Rocky Coulee is one of the many thousands of coulees in the area around Vantage, Washington that is essentially drainage route that hasn't really quite become an official "creek" but can occasionally carry running water with rain or snowmelt. This particular one in Whiskey Mountain area is absolutely beautiful in the springtime with its explosion of wildflowers including balsamroots, bitterroots, hedgehog cacti, lupine, wild onion, larkspur and many more! Also found at various times in the year: bighorn sheep, bears, elk, all kinds of game birds and birds of prey, and even some spawning salmon at the right time of year!
    Down into the Coulee
  • A barred owl focuses on an angry dive-bombing robin that is taking exception to a predator so close to home in an old-growth forest near Enumclaw, WA.
    Barred Owl
  • Finding this crown-tipped coral fungus in Pensacola, Florida was a very cool find for me as a Florida Native as I was living in the Pacific Northwest at the time and had never seen this type of mushroom east of the Rocky Mountains. This particular species is reported as edible, but as always extreme caution should be used when ingesting any wild mushroom without being absolutely certain what it is you are putting in your mouth. That said, this mushroom is fairly easily found throughout most of North America, excluding the West Coast, and is also common throughout Europe.
    Crown-tipped Coral Fungus
  • This particular patch of Texas prickly pear cacti in Edinburg, Texas have a really pretty reddish-orange colorations to them. Most of the time, the flowers are a bright yellow.
    Texas Prickly Pear Flowers (Opuntia ..eri)
  • This particular patch of Texas prickly pear cacti in Edinburg, Texas have a really pretty reddish-orange colorations to them. Most of the time, the flowers are a bright yellow.
    Texas Prickly Pear Flowers (Opuntia ..eri)
  • This particular patch of Texas prickly pear cacti in Edinburg, Texas have a really pretty reddish-orange colorations to them. Most of the time, the flowers are a bright yellow.
    Texas Prickly Pear Flowers (Opuntia ..eri)
  • A Spanish dagger in full flower! While there seems to be a bit of botanical classification confusion at the time of writing this whether the genus "Yucca" belongs to the Asparagaceae or Agavaceae family of plants, one thing is for sure - this very beautiful and very spiky plant can reach to over 30 feet tall, and the spiky leaves are so sharp, that when the Spanish conquered many parts of the New World and build forts, the Conquistadors planted walls walls of these to help fortify their defenses against attack. Native to Texas, New Mexico and Northern Mexico, the Spanish dagger is also locally common in Southwest Florida. This one was photographed in South Texas near Weslaco in Hidalgo County.
    Spanish Dagger (Yucca treculeana)
  • A very cool find: a western pondhawk dragonfly laying her eggs in a pond in Soos Creek in Kent, Washington! When the eggs hatch, the voracious aquatic nymphs that emerge will active hunt down any kind of aquatic insect it can find, such as mosquito and mayfly larvae, and even small fish and tadpoles until it is time for them to emerge from the water as adults.
    Female Western Pondhawk
  • I've spent over a decade telling everyone I know that this beautiful member of the Balsaminaceae of plants was an invasive, exotic species from Asia and I was completely wrong. I recently discovered that it is natively found near wetlands and streams in all over North America except the arid American Southwest, Wyoming, Montana and Alaska.<br />
<br />
What I wasn't wrong about is it's natural characteristic as a cure for poison ivy (which I suffer greatly from every time I come into contact with it). Sap from the crushed leaves and stems if applied soon after contact can negate or greatly reduce the rash from contact with poison ivy. Just be wary of the berries produced after the flowers are pollinated as they can be quite toxic to humans, especially children.<br />
<br />
This one was one of thousands found growing on the edges of Soos Creek in Southern King County, in Kent, Washington.
    Jewelweed
  • Deep Lake near the Green River Gorge is about 40 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington is particularly beautiful in the late afternoon. It also happens to be an amazing place for biodiversity. The woods around this lake are filled with all kinds of birds, especially during migration, and the astounding variety of wildflowers changes every time you visit. This image was taken during a rare early spring day when it wasn't raining. Just over the trees you can see the peak of Mount Rainier in the distance.
    Deep Lake, Late Afternoon
  • Deep Lake near the Green River Gorge is about 40 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington is particularly beautiful in the late afternoon. It also happens to be an amazing place for biodiversity. The woods around this lake are filled with all kinds of birds, especially during migration, and the astounding variety of wildflowers changes every time you visit. This image was taken during a rare early spring day when it wasn't raining. Just over the trees you can see the peak of Mount Rainier in the distance.
    Deep Lake, Late Afternoon
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one with deep red and yellow flowers was found and photographed in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one with deep red and yellow flowers was found and photographed in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one with deep red and yellow flowers was found and photographed in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one with deep red and yellow flowers was found and photographed in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one with deep red and yellow flowers was found and photographed in the Alamo Canyon, deep in the Ajo Mountains of Southern Pima County, Arizona near the Mexican border.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • Common in southeastern Arizona, Baja California and Sonora in Mexico, parts of Southern California, as well as select locations in Utah and Nevada, the buckhorn cholla gets its name from its similarity in appearance to deer antlers. Flowers are quite variable in color - ranging from lemon yellow, fiery orange to a deep scarlet, and are followed later in the season by smooth, plump, mostly spineless, green, purplish, or reddish edible fruits. Like many other cactus species in the Southwest, the mature fruits of the buckhorn cholla drop off long before it blooms during the next season, therefore you will never see one with both fruits and flowers at the same time. This one was photographed in the Puerto Blanco Mountains of Southern Arizona near Sonoyta, Mexico.
    Buckhorn Cholla (Cylindropuntia acan..rpa)
  • The spiny-fruited prickly pear (Opuntia x spinosibacca) is a naturally occurring hybrid between two overlapping Opuntia species (O. aureispina and O. phaeacantha) found in the Big-Bend Region of Texas and is believed to be reproducing with others of the same hybrid in the wild, which is a common way over time we end up with distinct new species. In some circles, it is already being referred to as a unique species: Opuntia spinosibacca. Although they are considered rare in the wild, I happened to find many hundreds of them in bloom like this one spread out in the lowland region north of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park in West Texas near the Rio Grande.
    Spiny-Fruited Prickly Pear
  • The spiny-fruited prickly pear (Opuntia x spinosibacca) is a naturally occurring hybrid between two overlapping Opuntia species (O. aureispina and O. phaeacantha) found in the Big-Bend Region of Texas and is believed to be reproducing with others of the same hybrid in the wild, which is a common way over time we end up with distinct new species. In some circles, it is already being referred to as a unique species: Opuntia spinosibacca. Although they are considered rare in the wild, I happened to find many hundreds of them in bloom like this one spread out in the lowland region north of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park in West Texas near the Rio Grande.
    Spiny-Fruited Prickly Pear
  • The spiny-fruited prickly pear (Opuntia x spinosibacca) is a naturally occurring hybrid between two overlapping Opuntia species (O. aureispina and O. phaeacantha) found in the Big-Bend Region of Texas and is believed to be reproducing with others of the same hybrid in the wild, which is a common way over time we end up with distinct new species. In some circles, it is already being referred to as a unique species: Opuntia spinosibacca. Although they are considered rare in the wild, I happened to find many hundreds of them in bloom like this one spread out in the lowland region north of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park in West Texas near the Rio Grande.
    Spiny-Fruited Prickly Pear
  • The spiny-fruited prickly pear (Opuntia x spinosibacca) is a naturally occurring hybrid between two overlapping Opuntia species (O. aureispina and O. phaeacantha) found in the Big-Bend Region of Texas and is believed to be reproducing with others of the same hybrid in the wild, which is a common way over time we end up with distinct new species. In some circles, it is already being referred to as a unique species: Opuntia spinosibacca. Although they are considered rare in the wild, I happened to find many hundreds of them in bloom like this one spread out in the lowland region north of the Chisos Mountains in Big Bend National Park in West Texas near the Rio Grande.
    Spiny-Fruited Prickly Pear
  • Ghost orchid bud at night in the Fakahatchee Strand! Probably not recommended for the bravest of orchid hunters, the Fakahatchee Strand in SW Florida is an especially busy time at night! This bud opened a few days later.
    Ghost Orchid with Flower Bud
  • A baby great horned owl - or owlet - that had fallen or had been possibly pushed out of the nest by a parent. Huge for a chick, this one was probably old enough to fend for itself, and with parents who probably still watched and maybe even protected it from a distance for a time.
    Baby Great Horned Owl
  • This large adult male alligator lives in a pond in my hometown of Bradenton, Florida and is a particularly aggressive fellow. Every time I got near him, he gaped and hissed like he is in this image. For some reason he shut his eyes in this shot.
    Gaping Male Alligator
  • Occasionally heard in remote canyons and rocky cliffs, but seldom seen, this curious canyon wren stayed with me for some time as I wound my way up a narrow trail up the steep basalt cliffs of White Pass near Naches, Washington.
    Canyon Wren
  • A Northwestern Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus oreganus oreganus) in strike pose after being caught then released among the ponderosa pines in the Eastern Cascade Mountains in Central Washington. Had I known at the time how highly venomous these particular rattlers were compared to other North American rattlesnakes I might have thought twice. Interestingly, the rattle sounded more like a cicada than your typical warning.
    Northern Pacific Rattlesnake
  • Typical habitat for the barred owl. Every time I've seen them in the wild, they have been in dark, heavily wooded forests or swamps.
    Barred Owl
  • Ancient basalt columns are a typical sight in Central Washington. They are formed by cooling lava, forming cracks that create these columns by contracting. The faster the lava cools, the thinner the columns. These thick columns cooled gradually over some time. The presence of the lichens that now cover the stony face is an indicator of very good air quality and a lack of pollution.
    Lichen-Covered Basalt Cliff in Cowic..nyon
  • Early April in the Joshua Tree National Park is a great time for photographing blooming cacti. Some parts of the Mojave contain vast groves of certain species, such as this teddybear cholla, which will seemingly burst into flower all at once, creating a brightly colorful paradise in the middle of the desert.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • High-key, classic soft focus photograph of a teddybear cholla blossom while shooting in California's Mojave Desert. It was a blindingly bright afternoon so I didn't have a lot of shooting options, but I'm glad I made time for this one.
    Teddybear Cholla
  • This is a fantastic example of a nursery log. Many large trees start off at a disadvantage, and some trees seem to do best when they start off as a tiny sapling on top of a fallen log. As these saplings grow with more access to sunlight, the strongest outcompete the weakest and eventually the roots will reach the soil, resulting in a line of trees with exposed roots. In this example, a line of growing Sitka spruce trees flourish on what once was a huge fallen log, but is now decomposed by time and decay.
    Nursery Log
  • The large whorled pogonia is one of the few orchids I've invested a massive amount of time looking for ranging nearly a decade, and have never seen it in flower. This one was photographed as part of a colony in a secret location and is perhaps the only colony in existence in the state of Florida. The usual range starts in Georgia and continues up the East Coast into Canada. One of these days I'll replace this photo of one in bloom.
    Large Whorled Pogonia (Isotria verti..ata)
  • The crested caracara is member of the falcon family that is common throughout central and the northern part of South America. There is a moderate-sized population in central-south Florida, especially in Hendry County. I almost always see one every time I am on the highway south of LaBelle. These scavengers are most often soaring high above the arid countryside or competing with vulture for roadkill.
    Crested Caracara
  • Lover's Key in Lee County. Just in the right spot at the right time.
    Lover's Key
  • A view of Chewacla Falls near Auburn, Alabama while the water level was low... still a beautiful place but better luck next time for lots of white water!
    Chewacla Falls, Alabama
  • This is one of the strangest things ever .... six wild boars roamed into our suburban Fort Myers, Florida yard and had a blast rolling in the dried up, muddy canal in the back yard. I was out there with my cameras and a couple of lenses, and it was the first time I was able to get close to them. In fact - some got so close that I couldn't get a clear shot because I was using a zoom lens! Then I did something dumb. I put out my hand to see if one would come close enough for me to be able to say I actually touched a wild boar. Four of them let me scratch them and leaned into me like a pet dog would! They loved it! It was incredible!!!! I have since then been called the "Pig Whisperer" as a result.
    Wild Boar
  • This white fox squirrel was showing off and having a great time doing flips and attacking twigs! We got quite a laugh from this little guy!
    White Fox Squirrel
  • Eastern ribbon snake lunching on a treefrog in the Florida Everglades. Just in the right place at the right time for this shot!
    Eastern Ribbon Snake
  • This fuzzy foot mushroom was found on one of the many fallen/rotting logs that are found near the Lake Jackson Indian Mounds in Tallahassee, Florida just north of Interstate 10. I had a difficult time finding the correct identification for this one (at least I think I did - 98% sure).
    Fuzzy Foot (Xeromphalina campanella)
  • The clamshell orchid is one of the most beautiful of all of Florida's native orchids, and can flower for a very long time. This is one of those orchids that if you see one in flower, you are likely to see a lot more in the surrounding trees, as they tend to grow in huge colonies.
    Clamshell Orchid (Prosthechea cochle..dra)
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